Family Ties
by xXxCutiexXx
Summary: (repost of prior story, changes made) Cassandra Hightower was just your average 22 year old single mother to an adorable 6 month old little girl Chloe who was just trying to survive and overcome her past. When Franco reveals a secret that Sam and Sonny long thought impossible and she never knew, everything she THINKS she knows about her life changes. How will she cope with it?
1. About The Story

**AUTHORS NOTES &amp; DISCLAIMER**

First of all, I do not own the television show General Hospital, nor do I own any of it's actual characters. I only own my created one, Cassandra, and her little boy, Alex. This was inspired by that 'gathering' Franco held last year, when he tried to fix everything he'd done wrong, and my own twist on Sonny &amp; Sam's short relationship, what Lila might have been like had she lived.

Point being, this is a work of fiction that will follow some things seen on the show, but not all things seen on the show since Franco's little 'party'. It'll mostly focus on JaSam, my oc and her interactions with her new 'family'. This hints at Sonny and sam's past relationship, and it will include jason at some point because damn it, I miss Jason. And I happen to think that Sonny needs one kid who while challenging him, actually WANTS to bond with him. I love Sonny, so sue me.

Danny will NOT be sick in this, but it won't be as badly as it was on the show. I don't have the heart to actually write out anything that painful to a kid.

And now the fun part...

I'm torn for a pairing for my girl.. Parts of me wanna pair her with Johnny, but then parts of me think that new detective Nathan is a hawt piece of ass and an interesting character, to boot.. I'm open to suggestions on either of these (hell, I might even be tempted to try Spinelli if the person who suggests them has a swaying enough reason..)

Anyway, yeah.. That's all for my notes. This is an AU romance. It will have JaSam, Davis family, Ethina, Solivia, and lots of other craziness, so it's not just about the romance.

I wanted to keep writing the first version of the story, but I kept hitting snags and things didn't flow well enough for me.

**NEED TO KNOW INFORMATION**

**PAIRINGS/CAST APPEARANCES**

JASAM

ETHINA

*DAVIS FAM*

PAST TENSE SOSAM

SOLIVIA

LANTE

MICHAEL

MORGAN

JEROME FAMILY ON OCCASION

CARLY

TONS OF OTHERS

EVENTUALLY, MY OC WILL BE PAIRED, SO FOR NOW IT'S OC / PTBD

**RATING**

T/M FOR SWEARING AND MAYBE AN EVENTUAL LEMON OR TWENTY

**SETTING**

FROM THE FRANCO PARTY STORYLINE FORWARD, ONLY LOOSELY FOLLOWING THE CURRENT SHIT.

**OOC / OTHER WARNINGS**

MOST LIKELY. I SUCK AT WRITING, LOVELY PEOPLE AND AS STATED BEFORE, NOBODY'S PERFECT.

**STORYLINES SKIPPED/CHANGED**

LILA'S DEATH, DUH

THE TMK THING, MAYBE, I HAVEN'T QUITE DECIDED YET.

JASON'S DEATH WILL BE CHANGED TOO

PROBABLY A LOT OF WHAT THEY'RE SHOWING CURRENTLY WILL BE CHANGED WHEN I GET THAT FAR IN.

**OTHER**

**NEED TO KNOW INFORMATION ABOUT MY OC + HER CHILD, CHLOE**

**NAME**

Cassandra Everly- Hightower (Corinthos)

**NICKNAME**

Cassie, Cass

**AGE**

22

**OCCUPATION**

Nurse intern, occasionally picks up a shift or so at Kelly's Diner also

**RELATIONSHIP STATUS**

Single, divorced. She left the guy she was married to because he lied, cheated and abused her, not to mention he scared her to death and she didn't want her daughter exposed to him.

**CHILDREN**

Chloe Nicole Hightower, 6 months

**LOOKS**

(playby person is demi lovato, that's how I picture her as I write the story)

She stands about 5'3 and she's curvy with long and wavy dark brown hair, warm brown eyes, olive complexion.

She typically dresses kind of girly, kind of punk rocker, loves jeans and when she has to dress up, she loves vintage clothing. She loves makeup and wearing heels because her height is an issue for her at times.

**PERSONALITY**

**(good)**

loyal

passionate

maternal

protective

intelligent

good at keeping calm

curious

good sense of humor

dedicated and hard worker

feisty and independent

**(not so good)**

can be tempermental

speaks her mind no matter what

stubborn

bossy at times

won't hesitate to finish a fight someone else started

dark humored

very private most of the time

skittish and nervous occasionally

complains if she's sick or hurting, hates being still

used to be a lot wilder, very rebellious as a teenager

**LIKES &amp; DISLIKES**

**(likes)**

the color violet

reading romance novels

long hot bubble baths

tequila when she does drink

baseball

motorcycles

walking barefoot through sand or grass

swimming

being outdoors

hard rock music

music like Maroon 5 or Amy Winehouse

grapes

comic books

spending time with friends or family

sleeping late

dancing, especially dirty dancing

makeup

stilettos

rock candy

tattoos

heights

animals

vintage dresses

silk or satin sheets

the color red

white roses

white chocolate

snow

cooking

horror movies

chess

restoring furniture/building furniture

painting

**(dislikes)**

waking up early

being sick

being confined to small spaces

people who hurt animals

abusers

being lied to

being babied

uptight people who won't laugh at the occasional dirty joke

her smoking habit

spiders

not being in control of certain situations

seeing her daughter hurt or sick or scared

men who pretend to like kids to get into her panties

men who cheat

when her car breaks down

burnt food

food with no flavor or spice

people who judge her because of her life in the past and her being a 22 year old single mother

not being able to spend as much time as she wants with her daughter

being held down

clowns

**HOBBIES**

reading

playing with her daughter, taking her daughter new places

restoring furniture/making things

painting

cooking

going for runs

camping

spontaneous road trips

watching movies

spending time with her family

listening to music

playing poker

playing pool

playing darts

watching baseball

watching boxing

playing online chess. She and Sabrina have had a game going for almost a year.

doing crazy (and fun, possibly slightly scary things) like sky diving, rock climbing..

**NAME**

Chloe Nicole Hightower

**NICKNAME**

Clover, Clo, Angel Baby, Pixie, Stardust

**AGE**

*currently 6 months old, however, I'm doing her bio sheet so that people know what I think she'll be like as she progresses in age*

**LOOKS**

currently has a head full of curly medium brown hair. has a button nose, chubby cheeks, freckles and greenish brown eyes. She has the same coloring as her mother.

*will like wearing things like tutus, crowns, feather boas, little sundresses, rain boots.. she'll be very girly*

**PERSONALITY**

loves to meet new people

loves to play cupid with her mommy and single men

creative

loves to dance and sing

good sense of humor

cries when others are hurt or something

can be cranky when she first awakens

sort of shy around people she doesn't know too well.

helpful

can be bossy

loves to cuddle, usually with one of her uncles or her grandfather, Sonny.

intelligent

tempermental

competitive

mischevious

**LIKES &amp; DISLIKES**

**n/a for now**

**HOBBIES**

**n/a for now**

* * *

IMPORTANTE, PEOPLE.. THIS IS SUPER IMPORTANTE.. WHO DO I PAIR CASS AND CLO WITH? JOHNNY, NATHAN OR A RETURNING PAST CAST MEMBER? I'M CURIOUS TO SEE WHO YOU WILL ALL PICK FOR MY GIRLS. I HOPE YOU ALL LIKE THIS, I THINK THIS TIME, BY GOD, I MIGHT HAVE IT.


	2. 01 Just Another Small Town Saturday

01.  
Just Another Small Town Saturday Night

It was just like any other Saturday night in Port Charles, New York. Cassandra Hightower was just getting home from double rounds as an intern at the local hospital and her only concerns were holding her 6 month old daughter Chloe and then sleep, in that order.

She'd just raised her hand to knock on the door of the apartment of the neighbor who'd kept her little girl when she noticed the missed call icon on her phone. She raised a brow as the number of an infamous mob hitman, Jason Morgan, displayed on the caller id. "Wow.. Somebody must have been really, really drunk tonight. Or something." the 22 year old single mother and part time nurse intern mused to herself as the door opened and her neighbor stood in the frame, holding her little girl in her arms.

"She wasn't any trouble, right? And Brett wasn't by here?"

"He came by but I called the cops. He was drunk.. Again." her neighbor said as Cassandra groaned and said solemnly, "I swear to God one day he's really going to piss me off. And if he rips up the fucking divorce decree one more time, Maria.."

"Hey, you did better than a lotta girls, Cassie. You got out."

"By the skin of my teeth. Barely by the skin of my teeth." Cassie said as she gathered her daughter's things from inside of Maria's apartment. "Why didn't you tell me ya knew that crazy psycho painter guy?"

"Huh?" Cassie asked with a raised brow, looking up at her friend who held out an envelope and said "Saw him on the elevator when me and Chloe got back from the grocery store. He asked me if I knew you and I told him you were my best friend and next door neighbor. Told me to give you this." as Cassie took the envelope and slid her finger below the fold, opening it carefully, eyes scanning the paper inside.

"It's a newspaper clipping? An obituary I think.. For a baby named Lila?"

"I'd take it to the cops, Cass. Just sayin." Maria pointed out as Cassie scanned the smaller print of the obituary, finally got to the birthdate and death date. "Whoa, that's creepy."

"What?" Maria asked as Cassie held out the clipping, said "The part underlined in red.. That baby was born on the same day, in the same month and year as me." quietly, while biting her lower lip.

Maria raised a brow but read the part underlined in red and then said "But you moved here when you were about 5, remember? Both of our bastard daddies worked the docks together for Corinthos."

"Yeah. It's probably just one hell of a coincidence. I mean it's not like I have a patent on being born on that day, in that month and that year, right?" Cassie wondered as she tried to laugh, tried to get rid of the sudden chill that'd crept up her spine when she read that.

"Why the hell would he stop you and give you a newspaper obituary though? Think it's a threat?" Cassie asked as she shifted a fussy Chloe from one hip to another.

Maria shrugged and said "This town's full of weird shit. But you looked spooked before you came in here. What's up, girl?"

"Remember that hitman that got shot in the back down by the docks not too long ago?" Cassie asked as she dug through her jacket's pocket with her free hand, finding her phone, finding the call list. She showed it to Maria and said "Either someone down at PCPD is drunk on the job and playing with the evidence or a dead guy just called me.. Not sure how I feel about either option." as she got another shiver down her spine.

She bounced around a little, mostly to quieten Chloe, mostly because she just had this really, really weird feeling.  
Her phone buzzed in Maria's hand and Maria's eyes widened as she said quietly, "Yeah? Well, girl, that dead guy just texted you."

"Huh?"

"The text.. Read it." Maria said as she held out the phone to Cassie who took it, scanned the rather vague message. "They want me to meet 'em.. At the Haunted Star."

"You're not the only one who got one, girl.. I heard that one lady, Carly, down at the diner today when she got the text. She really really flipped her sh-"

"Crap, Maria.. Little ears, remember?" Cassie said with a soft smile as she kissed the top of her daughter's head and said "So.. Do I go?"

"Are you insane?"

"No, just curious. I mean it's not like I'm gonna find out I actually am that Lila girl and I'm actually a mobster's daughter. Because that crap happens in movies only." Cassie said as Maria looked at her and then said "What if it's some kinda trap though?"

"Good point.. Damn it." Cassie said as she bit her lower lip and paced the hardwood floor in the living room of her best friend's apartment with her fussy little girl in her arms. She looked at the time on the text and then took a few deep breaths.

"You're not gonna just let this go.. Are you?" Maria asked quietly as Cassie looked at her a moment and said quietly, "Either someone's playing a game with me, which I do not like, or there's actually something to this and that Franco guy wants me to know the truth. Either way, I've got a right mind to tell all of those mob don bastards just what I think about their use of free time. It's not cute and it's damn sure not funny."  
"Little ears, Cassie."

"Oh in your ear." Cassie muttered dryly as she studied the phone's screen for the fifth time in as little as five minutes. "Screw it. Most likely, this is just some kind of prank." she said cynically as she hugged her friend and walked over to her own apartment long enough to put down her things and check the voicemail on her landline phone.

She rolled her eyes as she heard her mother's drunken dulcet tones on the other end of the line begging her to call. "She probably needs money or she wants to tell me what a mistake it was to have me or something. She only calls when she's like this and it's only to try and hurt me or break me or something." she said to herself as she walked around the apartment holding her own little girl and saying quietly, "I promise baby angel, I will never do that to you. Ever. You are my baby girl and I'll never just stop loving you."

Chloe cooed and grinned up at her with a gap toothed smile as an answer to what she said. After a few more moments, Cassie grabbed her keys and began the walk down to the parking garage to get back in her car.

She didn't get in too big of a hurry to show up, so when she finally did make it and walked into the Haunted Star's main area, she realized that she'd walked into probably the most hostile enviorment she could've possibly walked into.

"Who are you?" a brunette female, the wife of the dead hitman, Sam asked her with a raised brow as she answered "Cassandra." in a solemn and quiet, almost tired voice as she took a seat on a chair a pretty good distance away from the rest of the group.

"Who invited you?" another woman asked, Cassie had to guess that one was Ms. Corinthos Jacks, and she answered "According to the text, Ms. Corinthos Jacks, Jason Morgan did. Just to make something perfectly clear while I've got the floor?" she asked, eyeing the group, not really caring what they thought of her speaking as she said calmly, "I don't like being screwed with. So if someone's screwing with me.."

"We all got the same invite." Michael said as he introduced himself. He couldn't help but think of just how much Cassandra kind of looked like a younger Sam, with the same nose and eyes as his half sister Kristina.

Which was a little weird.

"She's a cute little girl." an older lady, Dr. Monica Quartermaine, Cassie recognized her from working at the hospital, said to her as she smiled and thanked the woman in a soft tone of voice.

The lights overhead began to flicker and then went out totally, and then when they came back on, Franco stood at the front of the room. Everyone began to talk at one time and Cassie just sat back quietly, observing, in no real hurry to be bothered with adding to the madness.

Sonny couldn't help but look at the girl holding an infant. A strange sense of deja vu washed over him as he did so and he couldn't help but think about how much she reminded him of his daughter Kristina, and again he found himself wondering if his daughter with Sam, Lila, who'd died before she was born, would have looked anything like this girl he barely knew yet felt oddly connected to for whatever reason.

Sam also couldn't stop looking at the girl and like Sonny, she got the chills too. She wondered to herself if this girl weren't somehow connected with the odd flash drive that Franco had left at the desk in her apartment building's lobby earlier, with a note saying that the flash drive contained something Jason was 'looking into' about the 'supposed' death of her child, Lila.

Cassie sighed as she sat through the first bits of the little gathering, listened to them all shouting at Franco, each other. When Sonny went for his gun but didn't even get to pull it out before someone took it away from him, Cassie stood and said calmly, "That's my cue to go. It's bad enough I bought my daughter to this insanity. I'm not about to keep her life at risk by sticking around."

"Shoot me, Sonny and you won't find out what Jason knew.. About what really happened to Lila." Franco said, smirking as he taunted Sonny who glared and then said quietly "You'd say anything to stay alive, Franco."

"Maybe I would.. maybe not. Do you really want to risk it?" Franco asked as Cassie rolled her eyes and said "Look people, it's been real, it's been fun, it's been amusing, definitely. But it hasn't been real fun. I'm gonna take my daughter and go someplace sane. Now. I'm really not even sure why the hell I got why I came. You're all clearly a group of wackjobs."

"You got my package?" Franco asked her as she looked at him and said with a shrug, "I did, but there are thousands of people born on that day, in that month and that year. If that's what you were trying to insinuate."

She waved him off and ignored what he was saying as she walked out the door and got into her own car, driving off. Once she was back at home, she settled in for the night thinking nothing about her life would change anytime soon, not realizing that back on the Haunted Star, Franco was telling a truth that Jason Morgan knew, and as of that night, everything in her life was about to change.


	3. 02 The Fallout Of That Night

02  
The Fallout Begins

Sunday, thankfully, was Cassie's day off for the week. And she'd slept in, her daughter's crib a mere few feet away from her own bed, the two of them sleeping soundly. At 9 am her phone started to ring and Cassie sat up then groaned, rubbed her eyes and slid out of bed, slid on an oversized red and black plaid button front made sure that Chloe was still sleeping and drowsily she made her way down the small hallway and into her kitchen, sitting down at a white wooden kitchen table, propping her bare legs up on it as she opened the newspaper.

She debated on answering the damn phone, but it stopped ringing before she grabbed it. Grumbling, she put her coffee on and poured herself a cup just as her little girl woke up, hungry. She walked down the hall and into her room, picked up her daughter and carried her into the kitchen, putting her into a high chair that she'd picked up at some sale, painted a bright turquoise blue and then covered with leopard spotted velveteen fabric.

"What's the baby girl wanna eat today?" Cassie cooed at her daughter as she fixed a formula bottle and tested it to make sure the formula wasn't too hot before giving it to Chloe who cooed and giggled, pointed at her hair. "I know, babe, mommy's hair's a hot mess right now, huh? You silly baby, you think that's so funny.. You're a silly baby girl, mommy's silly baby." Cassie cooed to her daughter as she turned on one of the local stations just in time to catch Amy Winehouse's song Rehab and sing along with it, dancing around the kitchen while she made herself a small and simple breakfast.

So far, it looked like a blissfully normal day, and the slightly insane and bizarre events of the night before, at this point, were long forgotten.  
At least they were, until the damn door was practically beaten down by some man who called out his name, Milo, through the door. "Who the hell is Milo?" she wondered as she tried to collect herself and shoved the kitchen knife she'd grabbed on instinct, just in case it were Brett and he was starting his daily harassment earlier than normal today.

"Don't know a Milo, buddy. So ya not getting through the damn door. I've got a kid to think about and I just think it's for the best that you stay out there and me in here.. Shoo." she called out as she wiggled into a pair of leggings and peered through the keyhole, all while her daughter giggled and cooed from the comfort and safety of a high chair.

"I told him to come here." another male voice spoke firmly through the door. She rolled her eyes at the closed door as she wondered aloud to herself, "What in the literal hell is Sonny Corinthos doing at my door, at 9 am, on a Sunday morning?" before calling out "And I don't really know you either, sir, so scram. Like I said.. I'm not gonna open the door, so leave. You're wasting our time."

Sonny looked at the door then said firmly, "I think you should hear what came out last night after you left. It concerns you."  
"Unless I'm secretly the richest bitch in New York state, sir, I'll pass." Cassie laughed dryly as she heard the one guy, Milo, chuckle, then she heard Sonny say "Technically, kid, some things came out.."

"And I'm pretty sure I'll read all about them in the next newspaper. I'm not gonna open this door, sir, now you should leave before I call the cops. As I recall, the mob and the cops in this town don't exactly get along."

The Amy Winehouse song changed to a Maroon 5 song and her phone started to ring. She rolled her eyes and picking her daughter up she laughed and whispered to her little girl, "What the heck is it with this town today? Did I miss something last night while I was sleeping? Did someone put drugs in the water supply or something?" which made Chloe smile her widely gapped smile and coo again, snuggling against Cassie's t shirt.

Sonny's guard knocked again and she finally growled and threw the door open, said in an exasperated tone, "You've got 5 minutes. If you waste my time, sir, I call 911. It's bad enough I have to deal with my little angel's bastard father.. Not gonna add cougar male mobster to the list too."  
Sonny burst into laughter for a moment and then said solemnly, "You need to read these." as he held out a file to her.

She took the file and he asked "Can I hold her?" nodding at her daughter. Cassie eyed him a moment and then said "I'll umm.. I think for now, sir, no offense, I'm gonna sit her in her playpen." as she walked into her living room, sitting her daughter in the playpen full of stuffed pandas, sock monkeys and unicorns, cutting down the radio as she walked past it and came back into the kitchen.

"Place's a mess. I'd apologize but I'm really not looking for anybody's seal of approval. I'm a mom who's single and works any and all shifts she can as an interning nurse at the hospital while picking up the odd shift down at Kelly's." she said curtly as she sat down in a chair, started to read the things in the file folder he'd handed her.

About halfway through, she froze in mid paragraph and looked up, the color draining from her face as she stammered and stuttered for more than a few minutes. Sonny stood there looking as calm and collected as he could be, all things considered.  
"This is pure bs."

"Actually, Cassandra, it's not. Your father, the man who took you, I mean, corroborated the story when I had Sean go find him last night. Told me a lot of other things too." Sonny said as he sat down. Cassandra bit her lower lip and sucked in a few breaths as she said "There's no way this is true."

"It's true. If you want, Cassandra, we can test your dna against mine and your mother's.. But I think that deep down you know what the results will be. You are the daughter Sam and I thought we lost." Sonny spoke matter of factly as he looked at her. Now that he saw her in better lighting, he was sort of wondering why he didn't put two and two together last night when he saw her and Franco kept hinting at things that concerned his dead daughter with Sam McCall-Morgan.

"W-what the hell happened?" she asked as she stood, peeked into the living room to make sure her daughter was alright, she was being awfully quiet and that worried her.

"Apparently, Cassandra, the guy's wife lost her child and when he saw you, saw the last name on the bracelet, he decided to take you. Said he worked for me then and he felt like he spent at least 90 percent of his time being screwed over." Sonny mused as he added "He's on his way to prison now, of course. My oldest son, your brother, Dante.. He's got this way with getting the truth out of people when he wants to."

"Yeah.. He made my ex, Chloe's father, piss himself last time I had to call in on him. Had Brett more afraid than I've ever seen Brett." Cassie said as Sonny looked at her and asked "Why'd you have to call on him?"

"Let's just say he's got a hard time letting go and leave it be, sir. I can handle myself, I've been doing it for a while now. I just wasn't about to raise my little one in the same enviorment I was raised in." Cassie said as Sonny looked at her and said firmly, "He hit you?"

She looked at him and then shrugged as she said "It is what it is. I was young and stupid, the way he treated me was the only way I knew. Now that I know better, not about to stick around in that crap." and dug around in a counter drawer finding a gold Zippo and a pack of cigarettes. "Smoke?" she asked as she slid the pocket door between the living room and the kitchen partially shut so the smoke didn't go into the living room with her little girl Chloe.

She hated smoking around her daughter and she rarely ever did it. She was close to quitting but the events of the past few minutes had sort of put her over that edge. "I was trying to quit." she mused aloud as Sonny said calmly, "You should."

"I should do a lot of things, sir." Cassie said in her own calm and firm tone, holding his gaze as she added "But I'm an adult."

He nodded, said quietly, "I wanted to come over. I would've last night but Sam told me that I should just leave you be for the night. I'd love it if you'd come to my estate later, meet the rest of your family."

The door was knocked on again and she called out "Yeah?"

"It's Sam McCall Morgan.. I wanted to talk to you, Cassandra. It's important and I need to say it now." Sam called out from the other side as Cassie raked a hand through her hair and called out "Come in." while flicking her ashes into an ashtray and stubbing out her cigarette.

Sam sniffed the air and asked "Were you smoking?"

"Mhmm. Not around my daughter though. Door's shut to the living room so she can't smell it. I never smoke around my kid. Was going to quit but after Sonny told me what he did.." Cassie admitted honestly as Sonny and Sam exchanged a look, wary of each other. Things had been beyond strained since she'd lost Lila, they'd actually gotten pretty bad before Sam lost Lila or thought she had.

He'd tried to force her into leaving town.. Then he'd managed to force her into living with Jason, who she hadn't liked at the time, but she'd wound up falling in love with by the end of it all.

Jason was the man who would have raised Lila had the man who'd taken her not taken her from them and paid someone off to make her (and Sonny, mostly as revenge against Sonny for some imagined slight) think Lila died in the nursery.

As far as Sam was concerned, Lila would've been Jason's little girl. Sonny had just been a sperm donor.

Suffice to say, she still didn't like the man, she merely tolerated him to this day. And now, they were going to have to try to manage some kind of arrangement so that they both got a chance to get to know the daughter they thought they lost.

"Anybody thirsty? I've got light beer, juice, sweet tea and bottled infused water." Cassie asked, looking from the man who was apparently her real father, and the woman who was apparently her real mother. She felt awkward right now, this whole thing felt like some bizarre dream.

"I'll take a light beer." Milo piped up only to be glared at by Sonny who mouthed something to him. Cassie shrugged off the behavior and held out the beer to Milo, then asked "You two?"

"Tea." Sonny said as he looked at her and then at Sam.

Just as he'd often imagined, their daughter had actually turned into a beautiful young woman. It just felt strange, however, knowing he was now apparently also a grandfather.

The things she said about her daughter's father - her former lover- stuck with him, repeated in his mind and he made a mental note to tell his new right hand guy, Sean, to look into this Brett guy and see what was up.

Sam smiled as she said "I'll take water." as she looked around the small and cozy apartment and asked out of curiousity, "You did most of this yourself?" nodding to the furniture and the decorations.

"Mhmm. I like buying things and redoing them. I redid Chloe's high chair, her crib, the dresser her clothes hang in and my own bed. Saves money and it looks better.. I mean to me it does." Cassie admitted with a light laugh as she sat down in a chair, reclined her legs on the surface of the table after having handed Sam her water and grabbing a juice box for herself.

She sipped her juice box and looked from Sonny to Sam, trying to get her head around this whole bizarre situation she found herself in currently. If she were younger, she'd be grateful, she'd be the happiest girl alive right now to find out that her parents weren't a crazy drunk woman who worked at a gentleman's club and a cold hearted bastard who worked on the docks, liked to come home drunk and take his anger about his life out on his wife and child.

But this wasn't back then. This was now and as a young adult, Cassie was really having a hard time trying to get her head around it all and figuring out how to deal with it. She'd zoned out and she didn't realize it until Sam asked her another question, "What about your daughter? Her father's not in the picture?"  
"Nope. And he's not gonna be, either." Cassie answered quietly as she sipped the juice box in her hands, finishing it and tossing it at her garbage bin.

Sonny spoke up and filled Sam in on what Cassie told him and Sam's eyes riveted to her daughter, concern filling her face.

"What? I got a gun and I'm damn sure not afraid of the bastard. Not anymore." Cassie said calmly as she added "Besides, all he's done so far is show up drinking and angry, and every single time, I've called PCPD. When I didn't show him I wasn't afraid, of course. Trust me, I've been handling myself for so long now I'm good at it." before looking from her real father to her real mother.

She stood and walked into the den, getting her daughter, bringing her into the kitchen. Sonny and Sam looked at each other, glaring, practically shooting daggers at each other with their eyes and the second the door closed and Cassie was in the living room, Sam said pointedly, "Jason would've been her father, Sonny. Not you. Why bother? You didn't want her then."

"I did, Sam."

"You tried to have us bought into leaving town, Sonny. And now, here you are, trying to insert yourself into my daughter's life. We both know that if Jason was the one who put two and two together, he was doing it for me. Not you. He was trying to give me my little girl back."

"She's as much my kid as she is yours, Sam, and I'm not gonna turn my back on her again. Not like I did in the first place. She needs both of us." Sonny said as Sam shook her head and biting her thumb asked "How bad do you think that guy she was talking about is?"

"Oh, I could tell she was scared to death of the guy.. She might claim she's not, but she really is." Sonny said as Sam looked at him and then said "I'm gonna look into him. And her childhood, so I know what I'm up against as her mom."

"I'm gonna talk to Sean about finding the guy and bringing him to me, having a little talk with him." Sonny mused as Sam looked at him, furious at the moment as she said "You didn't care about her then.. Why now?"

"I did, Sam." Sonny asserted as the door slid open and Cassie walked into the kitchen, carrying her daughter. "How old is she?" Sonny asked as Cassie smiled a little and said "6 months old. She saved my life. If I hadn't found out I was carrying her, I probably wouldn't have really tried to get away from Brett. It's sickening to admit, but I just... He had me brainwashed or something."

Her parents looked at each other for a few intense moments and then Sonny said casually, "I'd like you to come by my estate later.. Your brothers and sister are going to be there, they can't wait to meet you. Neither can Olivia, she's my girlfriend currently."

Cassie nodded and said quietly, "We'll see. Look, I'm willing to try all this.. But I'm not used to it, okay?"

Both of her real parents nodded and Sam said with a smile, "And your grandmother and grandfather, your aunts want to meet you both too."

"Like I told him, ma'am. We'll see. I'm gonna try this.. For my baby girl's sake." Cassie said as she scrawled her number across a napkin twice and tearing it in half handed one half to each of her real parents. "My cell number." she said as Sam put it into her phone right away and Sonny did the same. Sam w rote down all of her phone numbers and the number to Alexis' lake house and said "My numbers and my mother's number." as Sonny wrote down the numbers to all of his businesses and to his estate and said pretty much the same thing.

When they'd finally left, Cassie walked around the living room, holding her daughter in her arms as she mused aloud "What a day, huh?"

Maria barged in a few moments later and then asked "What the hell was Sonny Corinthos doing here?"

"Apparently, Maria, he's my real father.. And that woman, Sam, she's my real mother."

"Get the hell out? Seriously?"

"As serious as I stand here shocked about it. I have the feeling that they're both going to be irritatingly hands on parents... This could be a good thing or a bad thing.. I'm used to being on my own, I like being on my own." Cassie said as she sighed and then said "But my baby girl deserves the big family I always wanted but never actually got."

"She does.." Maria mused as she said "So... How's it feel to know all those times you joked about being dropped at your ma and dad's door by a pack of wolves.."

"Oh hafreakingha, Maria." Cassie mused as she bit her lower lip and focused on gathering up the dirty clothes, cleaning up the house for the day. "Different subject... I vote we go to Vista Point later, we take Chloe and maybe let her play in the sand? It's good and warm and for once, I don't have to work."

"I'm in, girl. My little guy's been wanting to go to the beach.. Vista Point's the closest thing, Hunter will be thrilled." Maria said as the two women began getting ready for their day trip to Vista Point.

She'd decide whether she went to visit her parents families tonight. She just needed a little time to get her head around all of this.  
That's all.


	4. 03 Meeting The Family Pt 1

03  
Meeting The Family pt 1

She'd been up and down with herself all afternoon about actually going to meet her birth father and birth mother's families, just because she wasn't exactly sure how well she'd be recieved.

What if her father's other kids, of which there were many, thought she was only 'after the money'?

What if they just didn't like her because they were your average 'spoiled priveleged kids'?

She had a lot of concerns about meeting them, so as she pulled her car to a stop in the driveway of the expansive mansion, she looked at it, looked at the callbox on the gate and thought for a few moments.

Did she actually want to do this?

Her birth mother had said earlier that he hadn't wanted anything to do with her, at first.. And it wasn't as if she were going into this with any sorts of blinders on, she knew what her father did, what he was capable of.

It was dangerous, his lifestyle. And her daughter, not to mention herself, could be caught in the cross hairs. '_But other than you, Cass.. Who has your baby girl really got? Brett's never gonna be a good father, and you'd die before you let the people who took you from your real parents into your baby girls life. So who's that leave you both with?' _The answer was plain and simple. It left her with nobody. And she didn't want Chloe growing up the way she had, in that hostile enviorment. It'd been the main reason she'd left Brett when she discovered she was pregnant with Chloe.

It was the main reason that she didn't bother with the calls or cards and letters on holidays for the people she'd originally thought her parents.

_'The past, Cass, is just that. The past. He's had at least 90 percent of your supposed 'death' to realize what an idiot he was. What if he really does want to be involved in your life, in his grandkid's life?'_ she thought to herself as she turned her attention to fixing the little clip in flower in Chloe's head full of dark and curly hair. It amazed her, really, how at only 6 months, Chloe had more hair on her head than she'd had when she was Chloe's age.

"So.. we do this. If we don't like these people, Chloe, we go back to the way things were before. Agreed?" she asked her daughter who only answered with a tug of her hair, pointing to the door of the massive Mediterranean styled mansion.

"Typical gangster house, huh?" she laughed to herself as she got out of the car after turning it off and went around, picking her little girl up out of the passenger seat. Chloe cooed and giggled, excited. The little girl loved dresses and dressing up, and given that today was at least sort of a special occasion, Cassie had taken the time to dress Chloe up a little more, as well as taken more time dressing herself up.

Not much, granted, but a little.

She hadn't even knocked on the door when it was pulled open by her father who smiled and said "They're all in the den right now." as he stepped aside, let her in, took Chloe from her arms, jabbering at the little girl.

Chloe looked at the stranger unamused and a little more than confused. "She's a little iffy about strangers." Cassie said quietly as Sonny nodded and said solemnly in return, "That's probably a family thing." as Cassie shrugged. For the most part, she was wary of nearly everyone, personally.

But she'd been done nearly every sort of wrong one could be done in life, so her own wariness stemmed from personal experiences.

Not some genetic thing, she reminded herself, because for all you know, Cassie, this could be a sick game that psycho artist guy, Franco is playing on everyone, even as she nodded along and managed a small tight smile.

Down the hall in the den, Morgan and Michael talked about this latest thing their father had discovered, apparently Sam's child with him, who would've been named Lila, had she lived, well... She'd lived. She'd been kidnapped by a man who hated and worked for Sonny as some form of IOU when she'd been born, but apparently, according to Franco, Lila was alive and well.

And she was raised by two people right under Sonny's nose for the most part.

"So.. What do you think she'll be like?" Michael asked as Dante said calmly, "I've actually met her. Had to arrest her ex, Brett a few times in the past few months. Brett's not a good guy. And she tries to play tough.."

"But she's afraid of him?" Morgan asked, wondering just how bad this new big sister's life really was. "Didn't you say she interned at the hospital?" he asked Michael who nodded and said quietly, "She does. She's not really much of a talker, I mean I've only seen her with a few people here and there, but she definitely doesn't go out of her way to meet strangers or anything. She kinda reminds me of dad when it comes to that."

Morgan nodded and then said quietly, "I think I've met her a few times, she works a shift here and there at Kelly's. Wonder how Dad took hearing about her ex?" as Dante spoke up again to say that Sonny hadn't taken that well, especially when Dante told him 'off the record' just what his new sister was up against as far as exes went. "He wanted to go and find the guy then. Just glad I could talk him out of it."

The door opened and Cassie walked in after tentatively poking her head in first, almost as if she weren't sure why she were even here to meet everyone. She reminded herself mentally that this was for her daughter, that she held no childish illusions of finally having a family of her own after all this time, but deep down inside of her, something insisted that is exactly what she kind of hoped happened.

Apparently she had 3 brothers and one sister who was also an aunt on her mother's side. That alone sort of had her reeling, made her wonder about the sanity of the rest of the town she lived in. But she kept quiet.

Maybe this would all work out well for her. She had to hope so, because nothing ever actually seemed to work out well for her until lately.  
The questions seemed to start and never end and eventually, after a few minutes, with a rueful smile she held up her hand and said calmly, "One at a time... Please?" as Sonny reminded them that she wasn't quite used to a room full of people.

She wasn't.

Especially noisy ones like these.

Dante smiled and took Chloe as he said "I'm Dante. I mean we've met, but.." as he hugged them both. She nodded and laughing a little said "We have." as she hugged back and then turned to find Michael standing behind her, arms out. "I wanna hold her. How old is she?" he asked as Cassie said with a soft smile,

"She's 6 months old. Her name's Chloe and I call her Clo most of the time." while Michael held the little girl who kept trying to reach for his lip, making him laugh. "Yes, lip. No, you can't have." he told the little girl before handing her back to Cassie who took her.

She wasn't used to anyone holding her little girl other than herself or Maria, her best friend and neighbor. Lulu walked in next and said with a smile, "Sorry I'm late. I'm Lulu, Dante's wife. I'm glad to meet you. We'll have to let Ben and Chloe play together sometimes."

"We will." Cassie promised as she looked around and didn't get much time before her father's girlfriend came over, smiling, cooing at the baby. "Another one to spoil." she said as Cassie shook her head and said "I think she's spoiled enough." as she kissed Chloe's forehead, letting the other woman take her. "This dress is so cute!" Olivia said as she suddenly saw a vision...

_The dark haired guy laughed as Cassie groaned and shook her head. "You're gonna ruin her. She's 2, she has working legs." Cassie told the man, (who couldn't be clearly seen by Olivia for once), and the man laughed and said "Doesn't matter. One day she's not gonna want me to carry her around anymore. Going to enjoy it now. Besides, you carry her all the time too."_

_"That's totally different..." Cassie said_ as fingers snapped in front of Olivia's face and Olivia looked at Cassie, asked with a curious look, "Are you seeing someone?" which was met with Cassie's hysterical laughter and then a look as if to say "Oh.. You were being serious.' before Cassie finally replied "Nope. Ditched Chloe's dad because he's a bastard and we didn't need that kind of drama in our lives. Not sure I'm ever gonna look again either."

"You'll find someone." Olivia replied confidently. Cassie raised a brow but didn't comment. There was this rumor going around that Olivia had visions or something and for a moment, Cassie got the sneaking suspicion that Olivia might have 'seen something' in her future. But then the more practical side of Cassie's brain kicked in and she reminded herself mentally _'There are no knights in shining armor, girl, only losers in tin foil. Besides, it's highly doubtful she saw anything about your future. Just because she seemed so sure doesn't mean it will happen.'_

The door opened one more time and Carly walked in, looking at Sonny and the girl he'd recently discovered was another one of his children, his daughter with Sam, actually. "We really should've seen the resemblance to both of you that night on the boat." Carly remarked as Sonny nodded and said "Should've, but I didn't dare hope. I mean for so long now, I thought she was gone too. Now she's not."

"Take advantage of it, Sonny. Make a relationship with your daughter and her little girl. Don't let her keep you out. Sam told me earlier that Cassie's reluctant to accept all this."

He nodded and said calmly, "Can you blame her? I mean the people who raised her did enough damage." as he watched his second oldest child interacting with her siblings, watched her with his granddaughter.

Carly walked over when the talking died down a bit and said quietly, " You should give both of them a chance. Losing you was really hard on Sam and Sonny.. He didn't take it well either."

Cassie studied the blonde woman and sighing said quietly, "I'll try. I'm just not really used to having so much family. For so long, I've been the only person I trusted, really." as Carly nodded and said "When I first came to town, I felt the same way."

"Interesting." Cassie remarked as she turned to be pulled into a hug by Morgan who said with a smile, "And I'm gonna totally spoil her." as he took Chloe and then said quietly, "And if you need anything, Cass.. I mean it.. Just tell me."

"I think I'll be okay." Cassie said as she sat down and looked around the room trying to figure out whether she could get used to this, or letting her mobster father have such a place in her life, in the life of her child was actually a good idea.

_She needs family. I do too, even if I'd never admit it._ she thought to herself as she bit her lower lip and listened to them all talking, laughing and talking back when asked questions about her life. She spent about half the afternoon and until almost 9 at night there with her father and her father's family, talking and getting to know them.

By the time she left, she'd pretty much decided that maybe Carly was right in her advice. Everyone in this situation did deserve a chance.  
Herself included in that.

She hugged her father goodbye one more time and set off for her grandmother's house, the anxious knot in her stomach subsided only a little.

One side of the family down.. Still another to go.. She wondered how this was going to work as she drove to her grandmother's house.

And she wondered why she got the distinct feeling that she was going to have a very involved family from here on out. She also wondered if that would be a good or a bad thing.

She hadn't had that before, it'd be a huge adjustment.


	5. 04 Meeting The Family Pt 2

05  
Meeting the Family II

She pulled into the more modest gravel driveway of her grandmother's lake house and even now, even with what she thought would be the hardest of the two meetings under her belt, she still felt nervous, apprehensive.

What if her grandmother disapproved of her life?

What if her aunts hated her?

She bit her lower lip and stared at the modest brick 2 story house with determination before turning to her daughter who sat in the passenger seat eating a soft cookie - they seemed to ease the pain of cutting teeth, or distract little Chloe- and saying calmly, "This is the last stop, angel baby. Then we'll go home and relax."

Chloe giggled and cooed, the cookie crumbs caking around her little mouth. Cassie dabbed at her face with a wipe and cleaning her off as she took a few deep breaths to calm herself she muttered calmly, "Here we go angel baby. Are you ready? Let's get this all over with. I still don't know how I'm supposed to feel about any of it." her voice coming out loud, echoing through the cab of the small 2 door coupe.  
Chloe clapped her hands and giggled and Cassie got out, going around and getting Chloe out of her car seat as she said with a smile, "This can't go too badly, right?"

Chloe tugged at her chandelier earring and Cassie laughed as she saw the door to the house opening. She almost panicked and got back into her car, drove away, but she saw her birth mother standing there and common sense kicked in.. She'd come this far with things, she might as well do this.  
Even if she chose not to let either one of her birth parents into her life fully, she still needed to try and give them a fair chance. After all, what they'd had done to them wasn't their fault.

That, she blamed solely on the man she'd previously thought to be her father, the no good drunken bastard who took her from the hospital nursery.  
"Did you finally make it?" Sam asked as she hugged her daughter against her and then looked at her, asked "How'd it go at Sonny's?"  
"It went okay, actually. He seemed like a nice guy, all obvious flaws aside. Who's this little cutie, huh?" she asked as she took Danny from her mom who smiled and said "That little guy would be your half brother, Danny."

"He's gonna be a heartbreaker." Cassie observed as Sam laughed and then stepped aside, let her daughter and granddaughter into the lake house. Julian and Alexis stood in the den, looking at her. Julian approached first, of course and right off the bat Cassie thought to herself _'This guy is a bad egg if there ever was one. He just looks crooked and shady. That smirk.. Ughh, what's my grandmother even doing with him, I wonder? A woman that smart surely has to know how slimy he looks.'_ choosing instead, to keep her opinions on the matter silent.

After all, he was currently at odds with her birth father. The man hugged her and then said with a nod, "Sam tells me you're a nursing student. That's admirable."

Cassie nodded and then Alexis spoke up as her shock at seeing the granddaughter she thought dead standing there began to wear off finally. " And that you're raising Chloe by yourself?"

"Actually, not totally alone, Ms. Davis.."

"You can call me Alexis or even grandma if you like.. I'd rather Alexis.. Just don't feel old enough to be a grandmother." Alexis admitted with a light laugh as she fixed her eyes firmly on her granddaughter, indicating that she did ask a question and yes, as a grandparent, as a concerned family member, she did expect an answer.

"Okay. I'll, umm.. I'll remember that." Cassie said calmly as she answered her grandmother's question from moments before and explained, "Sabrina Santiago, Felix and my neighbor Maria help me out as much as they can with Chloe. They're her godparents, they've been there for her and for me since the first day I met any of them." which made Sam nod and then say with a reassuring and soft smile, "And now you have your parents too.", her eyes hopeful.

Cassie nodded and said quietly, "I do. If everything works out."

Julian watched the girl. He'd picked up on a certain stiffness in her where he was concerned. No doubt her real father, Sonny, the bastard, had filled her head full of lies. The thought pissed him off, only gave him yet another reason to draw a target on Sonny's back.

He calmed himself and then managed a smile as he asked "Are you two hungry? I was actually grilling today. It being such a good day for it."

"Actually, that's not a bad idea. I mean I ate lunch at.." Cassie started but trailed off as she reminded herself _'Rivals, dumbass. Good one, smooth move.. Get yourself inserted in the middle of a fucking mob war. What a fine mother you are, huh? If you had any sense, Cass.'_ before she heard a mental repeat of Sabrina's words to her about family and how complicated it all was from earlier, _'The best you can do, Cass, is give your real parents a chance. I'm being totally honest. Because things happen for a reason and the truth came out now. And even though I know you won't admit it, you're that damn stubborn, you need them in your life. You need them supporting you, getting to know you and Chloe. You want it.'_ come back to her.

She shook her head and followed her mother into the house, then out onto the deck where she was bum rushed by Molly, who introduced herself and promptly mused aloud "You were totally right, Sam. She looks almost exactly like Kristina.. Just with brighter eyes and lighter hair." while laughing and hugging her. Right away, Cass could tell she'd love Molly, the girl was just so warm and inviting, really. She hugged her back and let Molly take Chloe.

Kristina walked out next, behind a taller male with a ponytail and plaid shirt. The two were arguing over steaks versus grilled shrimp. She smiled and hugged

Cassie when she saw her and said with a conspiratorial whisper, "This is awesome.. I'm getting a half sister and a niece. That's so funny how that worked out, right?"  
"It is." Cassie said as Ethan introduced himself as Kristina's fiancee and then jokingly said "They're a nosy lot, but I love them. Especially this one." while putting an arm around Kristina who nudged him and pretended to pout, pointed out "I, sir, am not nosy."

"You are, babe, own it."

"He's right, sis." Molly called out through a mouth full of sausage, earning her a look from Alexis which made her shrug and add "What? I'm hungry, Mom."

"I can see that, Molly. But everyone else wants to eat too. Besides, your father said he'd be here and Nicholas is on his way with Spencer."

"Okay, alright." Molly said as she pretended to pout and silently stole another sausage from the plate beside the grill. "We've got lemonade inside." Sam said as Cassie nodded and then said with a smile, "Thinking seriously about shedding these shoes too." before wiggling her feet free from the shoes she wore.

In hindsight, it might not have been a good idea to wear heels today. Her feet were literally barking at her right now.

She smiled a little as her mother did the same and then walked into the house, Cassie following her, holding Chloe in her arms. As Sam poured a glass of lemonade for each one of them, she asked Cassie, "This Brett guy.. How serious is it?"

Cassie bit her lower lip and shrugging said calmly, "It's nothin I can't handle. I've been handling the guy, actually. I mean he's your typical ex who won't let go. Most abusers are though."

The words struck a nerve with Sam. If she'd only known what happened back then, just how different would the life of her oldest child, the lives of all of them, for that matter, have been?

"I meant no offense. Just stating a fact, ma'am." Cassie said quietly as Sam nodded and said with her best smile, "I know. I just.. I wish I had a remote that let me rewind my life, you know? I'd go back and fix all of this."

"Some things can't be fixed. I still would've met Brett, probably would have still been stupid enough to fall for him, Sam. You can't change what's already happened. You can just move on and get over it all."

Sam nodded and sipped her lemonade as she thought to herself _'If I had been in your life, Cassie, you would not have met that jerk. Because I do believe that as a mother, I'd have done whatever I had to, even if it meant locking you in a tower until you turned 30. I'm that much like my own mother.'_ and thought of something else for them to talk about.

The doorbell rang and Sam walked to it, opening it, hugging Nicholas back when he hugged her, giving Liz her best and most polite smile under the circumstances. At least Nicholas wasn't with Britt Westbourne today, that was a plus. Sam could handle being around Liz, but given all she knew about Britt, she didn't see herself doing a cordial family dinner with Britt underfoot.

"And you must be Cassandra." Nicholas said as he took Chloe from Cassie and hugged her, then introduced himself as her cousin. He introduced Elizabeth who smiled and asked her how she liked being an intern at the hospital.

"I'd love it.. If they'd just get rid of Obrecht. That woman gives me the serious creeps." Cassie admitted as Liz nodded and said solemnly, "Unfortunately, looks like we'll be stuck with her. How old is Chloe?"

"6 months old, actually. She's teething, I dread everything from here on out. I wish I could keep her a baby forever.. There's just so much awful crap in the world I don't want her exposed to." Cassie said which Alexis agreed to as she walked in and poured her own glass of lemonade, sat down at the table.  
"I give up. It's too early in the year for a heatwave." she groaned as she drank the lemonade.

Cassie laughed and then the little boy with Nicholas tugged her leg impatiently and said with a proud smirk "I'm Spencer."

"It's nice to meet you, Spencer." Cassie said with a laugh and a grin as he asked "How did you feel when you found out Sonny was your dad?"  
She shrugged and then said simply, "Still figuring that one out, actually, Spencer."

"Sonny's cool. He's always nice to me." Spencer said confidently as Nicholas and Liz exchanged looks and Nicholas spoke up to say that Spencer should probably go out to play. Spencer gave him a sour pout and went into the yard, starting a game of tag with Molly.

Kristina and Ethan walked into the kitchen and flopped into chairs then Kristina said with a smile, "I'll watch Chloe if you ever need me to. I'd love to." while giving Ethan a secretive smile.

A smile which Julian caught onto and wasn't entirely thrilled about, either. But until he got closer to Alexis, there was nothing he could do about anything he didn't like concerning her children.

He too had heard about Brett, and he had a few of his own men looking into the guy, looking for some way to permanently oust him from his granddaughter and his great granddaughter's lives.

"That'd be great." Cassie said as they all fell into conversation for a few hours. Eventually, Ric showed up and met his niece -via Sonny- and after getting to know her, he pointedly gave her his card and said "I know you say you have things under control, Cassandra. But a lawyer on your side.." with Alexis interjecting, "Which she already has, Ric." with Ric adding, "Can't ever hurt. People are ruthless."

Alexis fought back the urge to remind him that yes, thanks to some things he'd done in the past, she knew this.

They talked and ate, Cassie laughed and probably smiled more than she had in a really long time.

Maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to at least give her parents and her extend families a chance.

After all, going it alone did get to be a little lonely at times.

When she finally left, and got back into her car, she sat there a few moments just letting the events of the past few days wash over her, taking it all in. She smiled a little and starting the car, she drove home.

"That wasn't so bad, was it angel baby?" she asked her daughter as she settled Chloe down into a turquoise blue wooden crib with leopard spotted bedding and a thin red blankie she'd gotten Chloe's initials monogrammed into when she'd first bought Chloe home from the hospital.

Chloe cooed and looked up at her with sleepy big eyes as if to say _'And I knew it wouldn't be, Mommy.'_  
Cassie walked back into her den and sank down onto the aqua colored sofa, flipped through the television set, laughing with glee when she found Dirty Dancing playing on one of the movie channels.

Maybe she could get used to her life like this.

Maybe she could let them all in and have at least a partially normal life for her baby girl and herself.

She only hoped that it didn't wind up blowing up in her face, her trying to give her parents a chance.


	6. 05 Tall Dark & Handsome Pt 1

05

Tall Dark And Handsome Pt I

The elevator slid open and she ducked in quickly, arms full to bursting, holding an adorable infant girl who wore a black onesie that said 'My First Little Black Dress' on the front, and a few bags of groceries, plus what appeared to be college text books.

Nathan chuckled and quickly grabbed the text books and the messenger bag from across her shoulder and then asked in curiousity, "Do you live in the building?" as he wondered just how he hadn't noticed her before now.

"Actually, yeah. I'm in 35a." Cassie said as she looked at him and asked "Do I know you?" voice slightly wary as she took him in. She had to admit, the man was almost god like, from head to toe.

She normally ignored those pesky little feelings when they crept in, this one, however, caught her by surprise. And she couldn't ignore it as easily as normal. Chloe cooed and giggled from her arms, reaching for the man's bicep.

"Honey, don't." Cassie started as Nathan chuckled and shifted the books he was holding for her to the floor, took the little girl and said with a smile, "My tattoo, huh?"

Chloe nodded shyly and pointed to the tattoo on his bicep that barely stuck out from beneath a form fitting gray t shirt. Cassie mentally kicked herself for acting like some silly little teenage girl, and then said quietly, "She's got this thing with them.. My brother, Dante, he has a tattoo, he flexes it and makes her laugh."  
"Ahh." Nathan said as he asked "Dante's your brother?"

"Half, actually.. My mom, she kind of had a thing with Sonny for a while when she first hit town?" Cassie explained with a nervous laugh as she raked her hands through her long brown hair, fixed her eyes on him.

He nodded, watching her subtle movements while trying to focus on the conversation. He wasn't always like this around pretty girls, normally he thought himself a confident guy. He remembered her earlier question and explained "I was subletting an apartment with Maxie Jones in 24a. But now she's back and this guy's with her.. Long story short, I'm kinda riding the couch at your brother's apartment."

He had seen her somewhere before, he was fairly certain about it. But why in the hell hadn't he actually SEEN her?  
It had him baffled.

"Ahh.. That guy, what's his damn name... Oh, Liam.. He gave Maria a lecture yesterday on her use of unfriendly to the enviroment beauty products.. She basically told him to take a hike and hug a tree. I mean being an enviormentalist is one thing. This guy just rubs me wrong though, the few times I've seen him.. In some ways he reminds me of..." Cassie blabbered, falling silent before she could mention Brett, too ashamed of herself still for having attracted a monster like that to her to talk about it.

It hit him then, where exactly he'd seen her, and why exactly he hadn't approached her then. Because he and Dante had been too busy roughing up her ex, the father of her baby, shoving him into the back of their squad car.

It hardly seemed like the time to walk over and introduce himself, even though he did make it a point to have Dante tell her that if she needed anything at all, to call either of them at their desk in the bullpen of PCPD.

She hadn't, but apparently, she'd gotten away from the scumbag ex.

"I know where I've seen you now." Nathan admitted as Cassie nodded and said through gritted teeth, "And you know why I'd rather not go there. I'm putting that all behind me." as she smiled at him. "Good. That's good to hear." he said as he looked at her and then asked, "So.. Maybe I'll see you around sometime?" as the elevator opened. She smiled and shrugging said "Maybe. I'm always superbusy, but hey, who knows." as she worked on getting her things together, walked down the hallway to her apartment.

The door slid shut again and he smiled to himself a little. Then he realized she'd left her messenger bag on the elevator and muttered to himself "And that's gotta be some kind of sign." as he stopped the lift and got off, walking down the hallway, finding her apartment.

He could hear Amy Winehouse playing through the door, he could faintly hear her singing along and he chuckled before knocking.

"You left this in the elevator. Thought you might need it." he said as she opened the door. She smiled and took the bag then asked "Do you want something to drink? I mean all things considered, the least I can do is give ya a coffee, something." as he shook his head.

"Maybe next time." he said as she nodded and shut the door behind her. Maria stepped out of the kitchen and asked her with a hand on her hip, "Who the hell was that hot piece of ass? And why were you acting all quiet? Huh?"

"His name, Maria, is Nathan. He was subletting Maxie's place. Now he's apparently riding the couch at my half brother's place. He's a detective."

"That man is Adonis." Maria said as she licked a spoon that seconds before held chocolate pudding before adding, "And all you could do was offer him coffee?"  
Cassie nodded her head to Chloe's playpen and then said quietly, "It's up to me to show my little girl that women don't have to have a man to complete them. Besides, he'd never go for my type."

"Ha. That's why he was lookin at you like you were the water in the middle of a hot, hot desert and he wanted to take a dr.."  
"Don't start, Maria. At least Diego Alcazar hasn't made me fall off of a treadmill. In a very crowded gym."

"Hey, hey.. Diego's a decent piece of ass."

"Little ears, Maria." Cassie cautioned as she worked on chopping up carrots for their salad.

"Sorry, sheesh.. Just saying is all." Maria said as Cassie looked at her and then said quietly "I'm just done with the male species as a whole."

"Yet you have three new half brothers you're trying to connect with." Maria mused as she added "Me thinks the lady doth protest too much."

"Cute but nope. Men are a hazard to my health. Hell, I barely made it outta that thing with Brett alive. Really not sure I wanna know what the second time around holds for me. Besides, no guy's gonna just go for someone who's got a kid and all my other assorted baggage." Cassie said as she sliced a carrot into pieces, putting it into a salad bowl that sat nearby.

"Girl, really. It's called get out there and live, damn it. Chloe deserves to see her mommy living a normal life. Best way to show her guys like Brett don't affect you, or they shouldn't, is to get back on the horse, or the Adonis, in this case, and ride."

Cassie gripped the counter with laughter, almost shaking as she looked up at Maria who shrugged nonchalantly then added with a smirk, "Meanwhile, I actually talked to Diego."

"And?"

"And, we talked."

"That's it?"

"We might be going to grab some food tomorrow night. If he doesn't get called out to a fire or something. Or blows me off. He still has a hard time trusting people because they framed him for that whole TMK thing."

"Yeah, that'd make me distrust everyone too." Cassie said as Maria smirked and then said "So.."

"Maria, don't even think about it."

"Okay, alright, fine. But when he's marrying somebody like Maxie Jones or something and you're sitting there wondering why the hell you never gave it a shot..." Maria started, Cassie's glare silencing her. "Sabrina's on her way. Patrick had a surgery to do, she's coming over to hang out. Since she doesn't like being alone in the apartment. Why won't she just move into Drake's?"

"Because, girl, he ditched her at the altar. Naturally, she's gonna be more than a little bit wary of going back." Maria stated as Cassie nodded in agreement. Chloe started to laugh and giggle and point at the tv and Cassie stopped in the middle of the living room, looking at the television which currently played the news.

"Hey.. They let that other mob guy out of prison. That Johnny guy." she told Maria who peeked in and then said with a solemn tone, "And now Port Charles is going to become a war zone."

"Like hell. And if my father is smart? He's gonna keep that shit away from me and Chloe." Cassie said as the news reporter cut to another fire at one of Sonny's docks.

"Damn." she muttered as she watched the blaze, Maria's 'Little ears' reminder falling on deaf ears as she watched one of her father's docks go up in a fiery blaze.

"It's gotta be that Julian guy, my grandfather, I mean." she muttered, mostly to herself, as she stroked her hand slowly through Chloe's hair. The news reporter went live to the prison next, where Johnny was caught leaving the prison, smug and confident grin on his face.

And damned if those pesky little feelings she'd felt earlier in the elevator with that guy Nathan didn't pop up all over again. She used this to convince herself that she was just long overdue a good screw or something, that now she knew beyond all reasonable doubt that had to be all there was to it.

And she told Maria that. Maria laughed and said "or maybe you just know.. I'd keep my distance from Zacarra though."

"We hardly associate with the same people, Maria."

"You're the mob don's daughter now, Cass.. Chances are, sooner or later, you're gonna cross paths with tall dark and sexy as all hell."

"And when I do, I'll remind myself what I know now. That I just want one good roll in the hay. No guy, Maria, is gonna go for the whole ready made family. And I will not put Chloe through more pain than I have already. So if it means turnin into a nun, girl, I'm fully prepared to do it." Cassie said as laughter erupted from the door way and Sabrina came in, bag of Cheetos in hand. "I come bringing cheesy gifts."

"Haha.. So baby D wants cheese, huh?"

"Apparently, yes." Sabrina said as she sat down and then asked "What's with the nun speech? Did you two start on the red wine already?" with a pout as she said "I'll be having orange juice."

"Darn right you will." Maria said as Cassie nodded in agreement and asked "So.. How goes it?"

"Going okay, so far. I mean Patrick and I are closer than we were.. but I just can't get past the fact that Robin can come back any day and it'd all be gone again." Sabrina said quietly as she bit her lower lip.

"I don't think so, girl.. You didn't overhear what I did in the lobby today."

"What'd you hear?"

"Oh, just that somebody is getting collectively sick of someone else's crap. Santiago, tell Perez that if she had any real lady balls, she'd finally corner Diego and tell him how she feels."

"Oh right, thiscoming from the girl who was speaking in an almost whisper for Detective Hottie McHotterson."

"Huh?" Sabrina asked, confused as Maria poured the red wine and Cassie worked on putting Chloe down for the night.

"She means that new guy, West." Cassie answered as she added, "And I was not whispering. He just.."

"Haha, you were." Sabrina laughed as Cassie gave a glare, went silent and crossed her arms and finally said after a few moments, "All it is, girls, is that damned itch."

"Itch?"

"Mhmm. I want to be held, to have one long hot night with a guy. But I'm not giving into that crap, no sir, not me." Cassie said as she shifted Chloe from one side to the other, then realized that Chloe was finally surrendering to sleep and rose to go and put her in the playpen in the living room.

"So.. Are we doing Baby D a high chair and crib? I think I found some good pieces at that thrift store on main." Cassie asked hurriedly to change the subject. Maria, however, changed it back and said "Sometimes, Cassie, giving in's not a bad thing. As long as it's not to a guy who just got out of prison."

"Says the woman who's head over heels for the guy who got arrested for taking nudies and got framed as being the TMK." Cassie retorted as she sipped her red wine and then mused aloud, "Zacarra might not be a bad guy. I mean Sonny's not horrible."

"You have to say that though, he's your biological father." Sabrina asked as Cassie shook her head and then said "He's not a bad guy. I mean he does really, really stupid s-h-i-t, but he has good intentions."

"Mhmm. And now she's rationalizing their war games. She'll be a mob wife before we know it." Maria teased as Cassie tossed an Aztec print throw pillow at her head lazily.

"Will not. I mean I've actually gotten to know Sonny these past few weeks. He's a decent guy. If you saw him with Chloe, you'd get it." Cassie said as she leaned back against the couch and asked "So.. Another subject now?"

"The nurses ball.."

"Not going."

"What? You have to go, damn it." Sabrina insisted as Cassie shrugged and then said quietly, "No date, no dress, no real reason to actually go."

"Actually, Cassie, don't be mad. But me and Liz, some of the other nurses.. We might have signed your name to sing with us.. Since you're not going to be an intern by then? You'll actually be a nurse?"

Cassie groaned as she said "I sound like a dying cheetah when I sing."

"No, hon, you sound like a dying hyena." Maria corrected, sending the three women sitting on the couch into quiet yet noisier than normal laughter.

And in the back of her mind, Cassie wondered for a split second if that detective would be going.. But she shoved the curiousity down and sipped her wine quietly.


	7. 06 Tall Dark & Handsome Pt2

06  
Tall Dark &amp; Handsome, Pt II

She walked past him on the sidewalk and just the scent of her perfume had his attention. He turned and ended his cell phone call simultaneously, telling Lulu to just do whatever she wanted as far as opening the nightclub they co owned was concerned that night. Then he shoved through a crowd and caught up to her, tapped her shoulder.

Cassie felt a tap to her shoulder and turned around, saw probably one of her father's biggest enemies in this town standing in front of her. He was taller in person, he didn't look quite like a serial killer when he was shaved and out of the prison regulation orange jumpsuit she'd seen him in when he'd been shown on the news last week as he left Pentonville when his case was overturned.

"Hi?" she said as she raked her hand through her hair, waited on him to say something. For a few seconds there, she felt her heart racing and she couldn't tell whether it was fear or something else entirely. She knew the guy wasn't exactly a good guy, and she knew that if she were a smart girl, she'd be hauling ass in the exact opposite direction.

Instead, she stood here, waiting on him to either talk or do something. Finally, he did. And with a cocky half grin he said calmly and confidently, "Johnny Zacharra." as he looked at her. For a few moments she almost had to give him credit. He was nothing if not cocky as all get out.

She laughed lightly and then said with a smile, "Cassandra Hightower."

"Corinthos?" he asked, curious. He'd heard she was somehow Sonny and Sam's kid, but he was confused because she wasn't using his last name.  
"Hightower." Cassie insisted as she looked at him and then said " You're taller in person." immediately feeling like the worlds biggest idiot. She didn't deal well with men approaching her and lately, they seemed to.

She usually ignored most of them because she'd figured out that by now, it'd gotten out and all over Port Charles who her real father was and most of them, if not all of them, wanted something from her.

Or they just wanted to be able to brag about being with Sonny's daughter.

In that respect, she missed her life as it had been before, quiet and uncomplicated. She liked having a large family now, but she missed knowing who was really interested in her or who just wanted something.

Then on the other hand, she'd been suspicious of men from the word go, so that didn't really matter, she supposed.

Johnny chuckled as he said "Yeah, I get that a lot." and held her gaze. Milo chose that moment to walk around the corner and Cassie grumbled as she looked at Johnny and then said "Yeah, apparently when I got a new dad, I also got his team of guards. Not like I need 'em, but.." as Milo called out to Johnny "Get lost Zacharra. Mr. C will not like you sniffing around Cassie. Remember how much trouble sniffing around Kristina got you into?"

"If ya mean when he almost blew her up tryin to get me, yeah." Johnny said as he looked at Cassie then at Milo and then said casually, "Why's it bother you though, Milo? You maybe a little hot for Mr. C's daughter? Maybe you want her yourself? Maybe you're afraid she likes me."

Milo glared, unamused. For a split second he thought about just punching Johnny Zacharra in the nose and shattering his nose, but then he took a few deep breaths and reminded himself that right now, Zacharra and his organization were the least of Mr. C's worries and that Sonny told him to not be so obvious when he was guarding Cassandra.

He just hadn't been able to help it, really.

The thought of Johnny actually liking her, however, did make him a little mad. Not that he'd ever dare admit it. His job meant a little too much to him for that. Besides, Cassie wouldn't go for a bodyguard.

She didn't seem particularly interested in anyone if he had to be honest.

Cassie looked from Milo to Johnny and then said calmly, "First of all, Milo.. Perfectly capable of walking myself home. I'm a grown ass woman, tell my father that. Tell him I've handled Brett at his worst, I'm not afraid of that dipshit. I'm sure, Milo, you have things you'd rather be doing right now?"

He looked at her and then shook his head. Then she turned her attention to Johnny and said with a slight smirk, "And as for you, Zacharra.. Highly doubt you'd be even remotely interested if you really knew me. If this is just some thing to piss off my father.." her voice trailing off. He chuckled and said with a smirk "Cassie, if I really wanted to piss off your father I'd team up with your grandfather Julian and run his ass out on a rail. Not all guys are assholes." as she looked at him, a little shocked.

She bit her lower lip in thought and then said with a casual wink, "Well played, Johnny." before turning and walking away. He called out after her casually, "Forgetting something?" as he held up her shopping bag. She walked back and took the bag, their hands brushed.

She jumped when she felt it, this strange sensation almost like a little electric shock. Nothing like what she felt around that hot detective in 24a, but there was something there, some kind of spark.

_'Bad idea, Cassie. Very, very bad idea. Bad idea of epic proportions. This guy is only after you to piss off your dad. Just because he's hot too and you're a little, okay a lot, lonely..'_ her mind screamed at her as he held her gaze and then said with a wink and a quieter tone of voice, "So.. I'll see you around."

"Yeah, probably so. Small town and whatnot." Cassie said as she pulled her hand and the bag it held away and turned then calmly walked down the sidewalk. The wrong way. She grumbled at her stupidity and turned, walked hurriedly back in the right direction where she smacked into Maria and Sabrina, both of whom were looking at dresses for the upcoming Nurses Ball.

"What got into you, girl?" Maria asked as Sabrina eyed her friend and then asked "You alright?"

"She looks like steams about to blow right out of her ears, Sab.. Highly doubting she's okay. What's up, boo?" Maria asked as Cassie grumbled and then said through gritted teeth, "I met the charming Johnny Zacharra just now."

"Ahh.. So it's the itch again? Is that what we're still callin it?" Maria asked, gloating and joking about her friend's very real infatuation with the newest policeman in town, and the way she'd looked at Johnny when he'd been spread all over the nightly news a few nights before.

"Fuck you Ria.. In the ass with a cactus." Cassie said as Sabrina giggled a little and looked back and forth between her two closest friends before remarking, "So.. Taking it meeting Johnny didn't go well?"

"The man can make me madder than hell in two seconds flat. Never in my life have I met someone so damn cocky and.. Just gahh!" Cassie grumbled as she took a few deep breaths and said "So.. What dresses will you two be wearing to the Nurses Ball?"

"What the hell do you mean you two? You're going too if I have to.." Sabrina replied feistily as Felix spoke up from behind them, "Calm down, Sabrina. Not good for the baby.. And Cass? If I have to get up there and shake my butt for all the men and women in this fine town, you're gonna sing, mockingbird."

"Funny, Felix.. I'd think that rehearsal earlier would prove to you exactly why in the hell I should not be allowed near a mic." Cassie said as she grumbled and said grumpily, "Fine.. But I'm not getting all sexy for this. I'm not looking for anything. Just going to help out a good cause."

"And to watch Detective Hottie McHotterson drop his pants and shake his ass." Maria muttered which made Cassie elbow her friend and give her a silencing look.

"I heard he's living with Maxie Jones. We all know what happens when a guy is living with Maxie Jones." Cassie said dryly as Felix shook his head and said "Girl, you are about the stubbornest.."

"Hey, hey.. I can't help that, damn it."

"So, did you make that dress for Chloe? It was soooo cute!" Sabrina butted in, anxious to change the subject. She knew how tense the subject of men, sex, dating or even the slightest hint that her friends might be trying to set her up made Cassie and she wanted everybody relaxed.

"I did, actually. Screw it. I'm gonna take my baby girl to the Nurses Ball. Chloe is my date." Cassie said as Felix smiled and then said "You have to let me do your hair and makeup."

"Oh no.. Nope, nuh uh.. I said I was going, Felix.. I said nothing about hair and makeup."

He gaped at her and then grabbed her hand, dragging her into the boutique with Sabrina and Maria on his heels. Minutes later, Cassie found her arms full of dresses and her three friends pointed to the dressing room.

She walked towards it tentatively and found a stall, grumbled as she stepped in and stripped down, tried on the first of the dresses. She looked at herself in the mirror and grumbled again. "Not like it's gonna actually matter.. All I have to do is show up, do my number with the girls, at least be seen, maybe spend a little time with my mother and father and then I can go." she muttered as she turned around and then said "And this dress makes my ass look too huge."

The next 3 dresses all made her feel like a street walker and then Felix clapped with glee and shoved a red dress in her direction.

She looked at it. "Slit's a little high. And what the hell do I do about straps? Hello, my boobies.."

"Are in no danger of making a televised appearance. Just try it." Maria whined as Cassie looked at her and took the dress from Felix tentatively, walked back towards the dressing room.

She walked out quickly, did an even quicker turn feeling strangely naked in the dress, and with a laugh Felix said calmly, "Would you relax?"  
"She wouldn't be Cass if she let her hair down without a glass of red wine in her." Maria mused as Sabrina laughed a little and said "But.. That's why we love her. I think, Cassie, that's the dress. You have to wear it."

"I feel so naked." Cassie whined as Felix said patiently, "But you look amazing, girl."

"Why do I get the feeling you three are up to something? You better not be up to something. I don't like surprises." Cassie said as she fixed her eyes on her 3 friends who all swore they were up to nothing.

She had her doubts but with a laugh, she paid for the dress and poking her tongue out she asked them all, "Happy? I'm going."

Then she palmed her forehead.. What if all the other parents weren't taking their kids with them?  
What if she couldn't find a sitter let alone afford one?

"She's panicking."

"If you're about to say you can't because of Chloe, girl, you totally can. I'm taking Hunter."  
"And I'm kinda pregnant."

"And Emma Drake and her little boyfriend are in the performances. So yes, Cass, kids are more than welcome." Felix insisted. The ringing of Cassie's cell phone got her attention and she answered, laughing as she heard her mom asking "Did my eyes just decieve me or did I just see you walk out of that boutique across from Kellys.. With a dress? Please tell me this means you changed your mind about the Ball and you're gonna go?" Sam asked her daughter as she looked around.

For about the sixth time that day, she got the distinct feeling of being watched. When she looked at the back of the diner, she saw a man with a hood over his head and a leather jacket a lot like Jason's old one walking out in a hurry.  
For a moment she wanted to call out Jason's name, but then the bitter truth kicked in and she realized she could call his name all she wanted.. But it wasn't bringing him back.

Someone was just playing some kind of sick joke on her leaving notes that were working to build her hopes up falsely that he might actually still be alive.  
Or so she thought at least.

Because that had to be it. He'd been dead almost a year now. What would've kept him away if he were still alive?

She bit her lower lip and then said to her daughter over the phone, "I heard you were going to sing."

"No, Mom, pretty sure they'll throw my ass off stage. I sound like a dying hyena." Cassie said as she asked "So.. Does this mean you're gonna let Dr. Clay take you?"

"Mhmm.. It does. Danny's going with us."

"Ahh.. So this is a family thing."

"It is." Sam said as she looked around again. She felt the damn staring and this time, she felt it from outside the diner's window. Her instincts were telling her something was up but she was ignoring it. She'd just had a really long and weird not to mention slightly frustrating day. That had to be all it was.  
Outside the diner, Jason watched her. He wondered for a few moments if she'd found the stuff he'd hidden in his office and been planning on showing her before he'd been shot at and knocked out, thrown into the bay.

He'd been looking into the possibility that she hadn't lost Lila after all. He'd been determined to reunite mother and daughter, and he'd been determined to make them all a family again, despite everything they'd been through.

Then someone tried to be a dick and kill him. But they'd failed. He'd gotten amnesia and he'd only recently gotten his memory back.

But now that he knew who he was, what he'd left behind, nothing short of Armageddon was going to stop him from taking it all back. And making a few big changes in his life this time around.

He'd had enough time to think and reflect to make that decision. Now all he needed was the right time to do this, make himself known, come back from this so called death people seemed to think had taken him.  
Didn't they know better? He was stronger than that.


	8. 07 Tall Dark & Handsome Pt 3

07  
Tall, Dark &amp; Handsome Pt III

Her eyes darted warily around the crowd outside the place the ball was being held. "Whoa... Nobody told me there'd be like, red carpet paparazzi?" Cass said stiffly as Maria said calmly, "Oh would you relax?"

"Umm no?"

"Come on, stop being such a baby. All we have to do is walk past really quickly... Nobody will even see us." Maria insisted as Cassie shifted Chloe in her arms and Chloe cooed happily, looked up at her mommy with a bright smile.

"You love this, huh?" Cassie asked her little girl. She and Maria, with their two kids and Diego, who was Maria's date for the night, started to walk past the cameras flashing left and right.

She'd made it about halfway up the red carpet area when one of the so called 'hosts' asked her, "So.. How does it feel to be the daughter of Sonny Corinthos?" and held a mic out before adding "And who is your date tonight? Is it Mr. Alcazar?"

She laughed and said calmly, "Okay? And I actually don't have a date.. Mr. Alcazar's with my friend Maria." before darting as fast as she could into the building. Once inside she leaned against a wall and nearly jumped out of her skin as Nathan spoke up from behind her, "So you did come.. And by the way, you look amazing."

"Mhmm.. I kind of had no choice. And no, I don't. Pretty sure that any of the other women here look ten times better than I do." Cassie admitted as she looked at Nathan and joked "Nervous about your big stage debut?"

"Not really, no. And no, actually they don't." Nathan said with a shrug as he asked "What about your debut?"

"Pretty sure I'll have my ass thrown off stage." Cassie answered as he gave a chuckle and then pointed out "You weren't that bad earlier."

"I sounded like the death call of a hyena, Nathan, but thanks." Cassie said as they tried to migrate the crowd, Chloe reaching out for him to Cassie's surprise. Nathan took Chloe and naturally, at that moment, the reporters caught up to them as they talked. Cassie rolled her eyes as microphones left and right were shoved into her face and into Nathan's. Giving him a sheepish smile she turned to the reporters and said calmly "We're just talking, damn. Can't people talk anymore without it meaning something?"

"Is Detective West your date tonight?

"What's it like being the daughter of Sonny Corinthos?"

"How did you feel to find out your parents lied to you all those years ago?"

She resisted the urge to punch at least one of the reporters in the face when to her surprise, Nathan spoke up and said with a shrug, " So what if I am her date? It's really nobody's business. As far as the other questions, people, really?" to which she shifted her eyes to him and mouthed politely, "I, err, thanks." as they finally made their way into the Nurses Ball.

"God. Do they always do that?" Cassie asked as Nathan chuckled and shook his head while shrugging. Chloe hugged against him and Cassie laughed as she said "Wow.. She really likes you."

"She does." Nathan said as he grumbled and then said "Sorry, but it looks like we'll be splashed all over the newspapers come tomorrow morning. I'm gonna go backstage, get ready for my performance. I'll see you later on tonight?"

"I'd like that." Cassie answered as Nathan gave her back Chloe who promptly burst into childish giggles and looked up at her, eyes wide. Cassie watched Nathan walking away, bit her lower lip. Then from behind her, Johnny spoke up to say casually, "That jerk? Really?" as she turned around and said stiffly, "He's not a jerk, Zacharra."

"You coulda came with me."

"I came alone, Johnny." Cassie stated as Johnny quoted what Nathan said moments before. "He was being nice. Why's it matter anyway? I mean you only want to go after me for obvious reasons. What's a rich, good looking guy want with a single mother who has trouble making ends meet and has baggage in the form of a stalker ex? Seriously, Johnny, answer that one."

He shrugged mysteriously and then leaned in and said "Maybe rich and good looking likes a challenge. And that guy, Cassie? Ya know he's gonna bore ya. He's not what ya really want."

"And you're the expert in what I really want since when?" Cassie asked. Lulu walked up and then said "You're up in a few.. Want me and Dante to take Chloe?" as Cassie gave Johnny a dirty look and then said casually, " Look.. Leave me and my kid out of your little mob games, Zacharra. I mean it. I'm not looking for anything. Just want to raise my girl in a relatively normal and happy way." as Johnny called out behind her, "Good luck up there. Can't wait to see it."

She met up with her mother backstage and saw Maxie who explained "I managed to get Levi to let me come to this." as Cassie nodded and then said "But he's not happy." as Maxie nodded and asked "What did they have to do to get you to show up tonight? I mean I've never seen you at one of these.." which Cassie nodded and said "Well, my mom and dad are persuasive people when they want to be.. And then there's Felix and Maria, Sabrina and Liz all threatening to tie me and drag me in kicking and screaming." as Maxie laughed and then said with a smile, "I think Nathan likes you."

"Bullshit."

"He talks about you nonstop. It's too cute."

"We're friends. I think he likes you more, actually." Cassie said as Maxie raised a brow then said with a shrug "Doubtful. He's not my type.. I mean once upon a time, he would've been.."

"Just be careful about that Levi guy? I don't get a good feeling where he's concerned." Cassie blurted as she said "Sorry, I just.. It's none of my business." which Maxie shrugged off and then nodded to Sam who stood behind her. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'm gonna be." Cassie said as Sam smiled and said with a wave of her hands, "You did great earlier in rehearsal."

"I did not." Cassie laughed as she took a few deep breaths and got ready to step out onto the stage. Sam squeezed her daughter's hand and just as she looked into the back of the ballroom, she thought for a second she might have seen Jason. She blinked and just as the music started, their eyes met. Her skin heated all over and she felt that fire burning in the pit of her stomach. So much so that she forgot the words to the song they were all singing.

Cassie heard her mother's voice lagging with the track and followed her eyes, seeing a man walk out the doors of the ballroom.. She put it out of her head and focused on the song they were singing, she'd have to ask her mother about it later. Whatever her mom had seen, it had her pale and she looked shaken. The song passed by in a haze and luckily Cassie got through it without making an ass of herself. As soon as they left the stage, however, she didn't get to ask her mother about the person she'd seen, her mother tore out of the ballroom as if she were on fire.

Sam ran out of the ballroom with one goal in mind. But by the time she made it to the lobby, whoever she'd seen minutes before was gone. She ran out into the parking area and found a red rose on the windshield of her car. Picking it up she looked out across the lot and rubbed her arms. Had she really just seen Jason? Or had she imagined it?

Something was off about it, either way.


	9. 08 Tall Dark & Handsome Pt IV

08  
Tall, Dark &amp; Handsome Pt IV

She looked at Maria and Maxie, a few of the other girls who sat around her as the guys took the stage in little more than boxers which spelled out Nurses Ball 2014. Nearly choking on the drink that sat in front of her, she bit her lower lip as the music began, her eyes were definitely glued to that stage and for a few moments her finger rested on her lower lip. Maria leaned in and whispered loudly, "They do this one every year almost."

"Whoa. That's hot." Cassie managed to croak at last, whistling shrilly as Maxie and the other girls sitting at the same table as her clapped and made very loud noises of appreciation. Lots of them had a guy on that stage right now, Cassie, however, did not. But she couldn't take her eyes off of that detective that she seemed to keep bumping into, either, and naturally, her mother noticed and laughing, nudged her as she leaned in from behind and whispered "He's a decent guy."

"He's.. There are no words." Cassie stuttered as Johnny called out from a few tables behind "Oh come on.. That's all? Thought this was like a Magic Mike thing. Give the ladies what they wanna see, huh? Unless you're all chicken." his voice wavering a little, the drinks he'd been tossing back left and right since he'd shown up at the ball earlier starting to give him a pleasant buzz.

And naturally, seeing the way the girl he'd pretty much made up his mind that he wanted, no matter what it took to get her for himself drooling over Nathan, a cop for God's sake.. Well, he was doing what he did best. Being the instigator.

Or, in the words of quite a few, being a jerk.

Cassie rolled her eyes as she heard Johnny call something out over the crowd. "If he weren't chicken, seems to me like he'd be up there." Cassie mused with a laugh as Maxie nodded and said "He's drinking again. Not a surprise. He wasn't always like this, he's just.. He's sort of gone downhill since everything that he's been through happened to him. But Nathan's a better guy.. Just stating my opinion here."

Her date glared at her and Cassie nudged Maxie and said "And I think you just made hippie boy jealous."

"Good. He pissed me off when he said this wasn't a valid charity event and tried to keep me from coming." Maxie stated as she watched Milo intently. "Ooh la la.. You lookin at the body guard?" Cassie asked as Maxie shrugged and then said quietly, "He's good looking.. Just not my type.. My type.. He died, actually. His name was Cooper and he'd have been right in the middle of this, I'm nearly convinced of it." as she looked at her newest friend and asked "What about you? I saw you checking out Nathan."

"He's not into me like that. Just happen to keep crossing his path." Cassie stated as Sam nudged her and said quietly, "I'll be right back. Your grandmother has Chloe. I just.. I need to see something."

"What's wrong, Mom?"

"I'll explain later. just trust me, there's something going on, I can feel it." Sam stated as she stood and slipped out of the ballroom and into the hallway, straining to see. She'd almost stake her life on having just hallucinated seeing Jason.. For the second time in a night. And she was starting to get furious. Why would someone do this to her? Why would they torment her like this?

Because it most certainly was not funny.

Cassie was sipping her drink nonchalantly when she looked up and found Nathan standing, or dancing rather, right in front of her. Her entire body heated up and she felt her stomach knotting, felt a swarm of butterflies in it as she watched him intently. He had this teasing grin on his face and she licked her lips, she couldn't help it.

When he left the table it took her at least 3 or 4 minutes to recompose herself. Then she turned to Maxie and said calmly, "Did that really just happen?"

"it did."

"we saw it."

"Mhmm.. And once again, Cass, Detective Hottie McHotterson made you s peechle.." Maria trailed off as Diego worked his way over to her, dancing suggestively in front of her. She threw her head back laughing and then called out casually, "Christmas has been made."

A chorus of girlish laughter and howls went up from the table and Alexis laughed to herself as she watched her oldest grandchild actually smiling, actually having a good time. She nudged Julian and pointed out "She seems happy tonight for someone who had to be dragged here." as Julian nodded and then said "that's good. she needs to smile more."

Across the room, Sonny glared a hole through Detective West, not entirely sure how to feel about the guy showing an interest in his oldest daughter. He'd have to keep an eye on the kid and do some digging around. Dante seemed to like him, but Sonny barely knew him. And Cassie was his daughter, so naturally, he wasn't just about to let her be with anybody.

They had to be good enough for her. And like most fathers, since Cassie had come into his life a few weeks before, he was starting to bond with her and he felt like no guy would ever actually be good enough for her.

But anybody, he argued with himself mentally, was better than that Brett asshole she'd been seeing before.


	10. Tall Dark & Handsome Pt V

09  
Tall, Dark &amp; Handsome Pt V

"So.. When do I get a dance, huh?" Johnny asked from behind her as she rolled her eyes, annoyed. She'd pretty much figured out by now that Johnny was on a self destructive bend of sorts, and that he was probably only after her because her father happened to be his competition. For no other reason than that, Cassie felt confident, did Johnny pursue her or want her even a little.

And she was determined not to give into whatever the hell it was about him that made her heart race and her stomach feel like it was full of butterflies and bees. She was going to keep him at arms length, just like she'd been doing with Nathan, with anyone who might show an interest in her. Her uncle Lucas, thankfully, saved the day this time and said aloud "She's going to dance with me. I haven't actually gotten to meet my niece, so if you don't mind."

"She ain't your type." Johnny sneered as Lucas smirked and shrugged then said "Yeah? Well she's not yours either. Now, if you don't mind, Zacarra, go talk to your flunkees or something. Do whatever it is you mobsters do at things like this. Whatever you do, though, leave my niece out of it. Are we clear?" as Cassie bit her lower lip, increasingly uncomfortable with the situation currently. She'd never actually liked confrontations, and this one in particular was making her a wee bit more nervous than the norm and she didn't know why.

Lucas got her to another side of the ballroom and with a laugh he asked, "So.. How are you enjoying it? I mean having a big family. I can imagine it's gotta be intrusive, from what my sister tells me, you're more of a private person than any of us. How in the hell do you manage that?"

"I keep my mouth shut unless I'm asked something first. If they don't ask, I don't tell 'em." Cassie answered with a laugh as she asked him, "So.. You and Felix, huh?" as Lucas looked at her and asked with a strange look "How'd you?"

"I guessed. And I'm fine with it. Love is love, love is blind. Trust me, hon, I know that all too well. Besides, I work at the hospital. It's not like anybody actually keeps a damn secret worth a shit there, right?" she stated as Lucas nodded and smiling asked, "So.. Is it true you and some of the girls have taken to calling Detective West Detective Hottie McHotterson?"

"That.. Was all my girl Maria.. Not me." Cassie said as Lucas looked at her and asked with a grin, "But you don't disagree?"

"Never said I did. Just said that was all Maria's doing. That I'm not lookin anymore. I'm not willing to risk messing up my Chloe's life. I'm a parent now." Cassie stated as Lucas nodded and then said quietly, "But you won't be doing her any favors when you do get lonely, if you just stop your own life completely."

"The way I figure it, Lucas, is that if I keep all the bad men out of my life, keep all the negativity out, I'll be just fine. Women live for years without sex or love or some guy takin care of 'em." Cassie blurted as Lucas looked at her and nodded, dropping the matter for the moment. A tap to his shoulder had him turning and he stepped back then gave Cassie a teasing wink before vanishing into the crowd, in search of Felix.

Nathan stood there, smiled as he asked "So.. Can I get that dance now?" as she looked at him a moment, blankly, then remembered what she'd said on the way into the Ball earlier. She had promised him a dance. And she nodded and let him lead her out onto the floor. From her table, Sam smiled and nudged Alexis who smiled and said "I like him. A lot more than I like Johnny hanging around."

Sam's eyes met with icy blue ones on her scan of the ballroom and she gasped for a moment. But when she looked back up at the spot she could've sworn she'd seen him in, Jason had vanished for the third time that night. "I'm gonna duck out.. I need some air." she mumbled numbly as she stood and walked out, walked down the hallway, looking for him behind every closed door she came to.

He was in none of them.

"Whoever is playing this game with me is really, really going to regret it." she mused aloud as she heard Silas speak up from behind her, "What game, Sam? What's going on? You've been acting weird all night."

"It's.. It's nothing. I guess I'm not feeling well." Sam said as Silas looked at her with concern and asked her quietly, "Are you sure that's it? You look like you might have seen a ghost."

She managed a smile and thought to herself _' If only you knew, Silas. I think I did see a ghost.' _before dropping the subject, shrugging it off, because it'd be crazy if he wasn't dead, if he came back now when she'd almost given up hope. It hardly seemed fair, really. But Sam knew deep down that if he did come back, she'd want to be with him again, that she still loved him more than anything or anyone she'd ever claimed to love before.

Outside the hospital, Jason leaned against a lamp post and looked at the picture in his hands. He had a few loose ends to tie up, mostly for the sake of Sonny's damn business, and then he'd be able to come out, come back and explain what happened to him and where he'd been. He'd followed up on a wrong lead and it'd lead him to the docks that night.

Then he'd been shot, dumped off of the pier like trash and woken up with no clue as to who he was in a town not far from Port Charles. But now that his memory, all of it, was returning, he was hell bent on coming back. On taking back his family, his life, his place in society. And nothing was going to stop him. Not now, not ever.


End file.
